w 

fe 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

BOTANICAL DIVISION. 

BULLETIN nsro. 1. 



REPORT 



OF AN 



INVESTIGATION OF THE GRASSES 



-^HID DISTRICTS 



KANSAS, NEBRASKA/AND COLORADO. 



Dr. GEORGE VASEY, Botanist. 



PEEPAEED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PBINTINfe^ OFFICE. 
1886. 



^^x, .p-aah 



A 




Class SB/?7 
Book ^ V 



■I 



I 'ji 






'} DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 

BOTANICAL DIVISION. y ^ ^ 

BXJLLETIISr ]sro. 1. 



/y^ 



REPORT 



INVESTIGATION OF THE GRASSES J 



A.PIID DISTRICTS 



KANSAS/NEBRASKA, AND COLORADO. 



Dr. GEORGE VASEY, Botanist. 



PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION OP THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE 



WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICEo 
1886. 



^078— Bull. 1 



^^ 






,^'^,1^ 



INVESTIGATION OF GRASSES OF THE ARID DISTRICTS OF KAN- 
SAS, NEBRASKA, AND COLORADO. 



Washington, September 29, 1886, 

Hon. jSTorman J. Colman, 

Commissioner of Agriculture : 

Dear Sir: In accordance with your commission to make an investi- 
gation of the grasses aud forage ])laiits of the arid districts of the 
West, I have the pleasure of informing you that I have recently spent 
about six weeks in an examination of that part of the arid region em- 
braced in the States of Kansas, Nebraska, aud Colorado, and in the 
northeastern part of New Mexico. 

The eastern boundary of the arid region has been commonly fixed at 
the one hundredth meridian. It has been estimated that nearly one half 
of the land belonging to the United States, exclusive of the Territory of 
Alaska, lies west of this liue, and amounts to some 900,000,000 acres. 
Much the larger part of this immense region consists of mountains and 
arid land. A large part of the land on the Pacific coast is productive 
without irrigation, and some of the finest land for grazing purposes lies 
in the mountain valleys and parks, where there is an abundant rainfall. 
The remainder of this great domain consists mainly of arid land, such 
as the high mesas of Western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Southern 
California, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming, in addition to those portions 
of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and New Mexico before mentioned. 

Various estimates have been made as to the amount of this arid land; 
probably two-thirds of all the territory west of the one hundredth meri- 
dian may be considered of this class, and so far as it has been utilized, 
has been chiefly occupied for cattle and sheep ranches, for which pur- 
pose alone it was thought to be adapted. ^ 

NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO. 

The time at my disposal only admitted of an investigation of the part 
of this region which I have mentioned, aud I will first speak of the 
northeastern part of New Mexico. This is separated from the great 
plains of Colorado by an eastward projection of the Raton range of 
mountains. This range rises to the height of about 8,000 feet at the 
crossing of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The town 
of Trinidad lies at the base of the range on the northern side, at the 

3 



elevatiou of 6,000 feet, and here the railroad begins the ascent of the 
mountain, following the winding of a small stream. Near the summit 
it passes through a tunnel, then emerges in New Mexico, and rapidly 
descends to the town of Raton, which is at an elevation of about 6,700 
feet. Here the plains recommence, stretching eastward to the east line 
of the Territory, thence into the region called " No Man's Land " and into 
the " Panhandle" of Texas. Southward they extend through the Terri- 
tory, but undergo a considerable change in character after reaching 
about the thirty- fifth parallel of latitude, or about 140 miles from the 
northern boundary. 

The western boundary is the base of the Rocky Mountains, which 
trend somewhat to the southwest, thus giving a greater breadth in the 
southern part, but the average breadth from the mountains to the east 
line may be reckoned at more than 100 miles. This is the best large 
bod}" of grazing la.nd in the Territory. The elevatiou along the base of 
the mountains at the west is greater than it is in Colorado, and along 
the railroad the altitude is over 6,000 feet. 

The mesa slopes eastward gradually to the line of the Territory, where 
the altitude is about 4,000 feet. This region is almost entirely covered 
by several Mexicau land grants, particularly those known as the Max- 
well and Mora grants, and is included in the counties of (Jolfax, Mora, 
and San Miguel. Little or no agriculture has been attempted except 
with irrigation, and that is generally pursued by the native Mexicans, 
who are generally contented with a few acres each on the watercourses. 
In some of the valleys among the foot hills, however, are fertile spots 
where some cultivation has been successfully attempted without irriga- 
tion. According to the statement of Mr. Clarence Gordon in the census 
report for 1880, there were in that year about 220,000 head of cattle in 
these three northeastern counties, or over 60 ])er cent, of all that were 
in the Territor;s . Mr. Gordon estimates that there are 11,500,000 acres 
of available i)asturage land in this portion of the Territory, which would 
give an average of abo'Jt 52 acres to the head of stock ; but the ground 
is also shared by a large number of sheep. Colfax County was the most 
heavily stocked, and gave an average of 24 acres to the head, while Mora 
County gave 35 acres to the head, and San Miguel County 55. That 
portion of the mesa near the Haton Range is so elevated as to be only 
serviceable for cattle pasturage during five months of summer, and is 
chiefly occnj)ied as a sheep ranch. 

The grasses of this region are mainly the same as prevail in Colorado, 
viz, gramma and buffalo grass, in variable jiroportiou, but the gramma 
generally greatly predominating. Several other kinds occur in certain 
localities, as on rocky hillsides and on bottom land, but form only a small 
pro|)ortion as compared with those prevailing on the mesa. These will 
be n()ti(;ed in another place. The quantity of grass upon the ground 
varies with the situation and soil. In the west part of the Mora grant 
there is a wide streteii of most excellent gi-azing land. On bluffs and 



rocky groiiud the ,soap-weed, a kind of Spanish bayonet {Yucca angusti- 
folia) frequently occurs, and occasiouallj" may be seen a large, branch- 
ing, tbistle-like cactus '{Opuntia arborescens). 

Over the larger part of this mesa the capacity for supporting cattle 
will probably average from 15 to 20 acres to the head. There are, hovr- 
ever, large tracts which cannot safely be utilized from the absence of 
running water. This difficulty will eventually be overcome by the sink- 
ing of wells. 

Mr. Calhoun, of Watrous, a well-known stockman, remarked, " L ur 
great want is a more productive grass. The quality is not so great an 
object as the quantity." 

Mr. Gordon estimates that there are 11,500,000 acres in this region 
available for stock-raising, and that in 1880 it was stocked on the aver- 
age at the rate of about 52 acres to the head. But the full grazing 
capacity of the land cannot be realized under the ranche system. In 
order to do this the cattle ranges must be restricted in extent, with 
provision for winter feeding, water, and shelter. If to this we add cul- 
tivation of the laud and i)astures of more productive grasses, we may 
expect greatly increased population and wealth. Mr. D. W. Brewster 
has a section of land on the dry mesa about 12 miles east of Las Yegas, 
where he has dug a well and this year broken 30 acres, and expects to 
break 80 acres, on which he will try the experiment of cultivation. The 
result of this experiment will be watched with great interest. In a deep 
cafion, 28 miles east of Springer, M. W. Mills, esq., has 100 acres under 
cultivation in fruit trees, and has had good success. Whenever these 
land grants are arranged for subdivision at reasonable prices, a move- 
ment of immigration will probably take place. The towns of Raton, 
Springer, and Las Vegas are the principal ones on the railroad in a dis- 
tance of 150 miles. 

THE NORTHERN PLAINS. 

We will now return to the arid region north of New Mexico. This is 
bounded on the west by the Rocky Mountains, and extends eastward to 
the one hundredth meridian in the States of Kansas and ]S"ebraska, a 
distance of more than 300 miles. The elevation at the base of the 
mountains is about 5,500 to 6,000 feet. l^Torth of Colorado the high 
mountain range breaks down into the elevated Laramie plains. 

This region is drained in the northern part by the Platte River, the 
north fork in Nebraska and the south fori?: in Colorado; by the Repub- 
lican River in Southern Nebraska, the Smoky Hill in Kansas, and the 
Arkansas and its branches in Southern Colorado and Kansas. It is an 
immense treeless plain, sloping eastward at the rate of about 10 feet to 
the mile. It is cut up in many places by dry channels, called arroyas, 
which carry off the surface-water during rains and convey it to the 
larger streams. In the central part of the Colorado plateau is an ele- 
vated ridge, known as the "divide," which separates the waters of the 



Ylatte from those wliich make their way on tlie south to the Arkansas. 
This ridge is about 100 miles from east to west and 60 miles from north 
to south. The southward drainage slope toward the Arkansas River is 
said to be about 40 feet to the mile. Occasional spring;^ are found, but 
■large areas occur without any water. 

There are some extensive tracts of very sandy land, sometimes thrown 
anto ridges, and sometimes into small, shifting hillocks. But by far the 
larger part of the surface of this great tract is a rich mixture of loam 
and clay, increasing in richness, for the most part, as the land descends 
to lower altitudes. The same observations will apply mainly to the 
eastern portions of the tract in Kansas and Nebraska, where, at the one 
hundredth meridian, the elevation is about 2.500 feet. 

Near Denver and northward on the Platte and its branches are some of 
the best agriculturallands of Colorado. They are irrigated by ditches and 
canals drawn from the mountain streams. In this part of the State are 
the enterprising towns of Boulder, Lcmgmont, Fort Collins, and Greeley. 
In the southern i^art the Arkansas has been drawn upon for purposes 
of irrigation. But the irrigable lands constitute but a small part of the 
great plains. They are mostly elevated above the streams, and for a 
supply of water must depend mainly upon wells and artificial reser- 
voirs. The rainfall over this region is from 15 to 20 inches per year, 
increased occasionally in the southeastern part to '.'4 inches. The plains 
constitute about one-third of the entire area of the State of Colorado. 

CATTLE ON THE PLAINS. 

It is Stated that in 1884 there were in Eastern Colorado about 800,000 
■cattle, occupying an area of some 20,000,000 acres, or about 40 acres per 
head. Occupying the same territory there were also about 1,000,000 
■head of sheep. Some parts of this region have evidently' been over- 
stocked, but there are large areas in the eastern part of the State which 
Lave been little utilized on account of the scarcity of water. 

In Kansas and Nebraska west of the one hundredth meridian the ele- 
vation runs down from an average of 3,500 feet to that of some 2,500 
feet in a distance of about 120 miles. I have not been able to obtain 
any recent estimates as to the quantity of cattle on ranches in this dis- 
trict. The number has been greatly i educed within two or three years, 
partly by the removal of many herds to more northern ranges and partly 
by means of the heavy losses of stock during the last winter from ex- 
posure to an excessively severe occurrence of storms and blizzards, by 
which some herds were almost entirely destroyed. 

There are some sections where the supply of running water is very 
limited, and these have not been much occupied. 

There is reason to believe that the un])rodu('tive character of much 
of this region has been greatly exaggerated, and many portions of this 
Territory have recently been the field of a great rush of immigration, 
by which the larger part will soon be absorbed by homesteads and pre- 



emption claims for the purpose of geueral cultivation. The attempts 
at agriculture which have been made here duriogthe past two or three 
years have been attended with considerable success, possibly owing to 
favorable seasons, but the most sanguine expectations are entertained 
by the settlers. 

The scene of greatest activity has been along the line of the Atchi- 
son, Topeka and Santa F6 Eailroad. From Dodge City westward to 
La Junta new towns are springing up as if by magic, and the surround- 
ing country is being rapidly settled. Cimarron, Belfast, Pierceville, 
Garden City, Hartland, Syracuse, Cooledge, and Lamar are some of 
these new points of settlement. Several new and extensive irrigating 
canals, drawn from the Arkansas River, have been carried through por- 
tions of the country, which will enable much land to be brought under 
irrigation. The bottom lands and second bottoms are flat and well 
adapted to irrigation. The high lands have a rich soil, supporting a 
good body of gramma and buft'alo grass. On the Kansas Pacific Rail- 
road there is also considerable activity in the waj" of settlement. Sor. 
rento, Kit Carson, and Coronada are booming towns on this road in 
Eastern Colorado and Colona, Collyer, Grinnell, Sheridan, and Wallace 
on the same road in Western Kansas. The railroad through this sec- 
tion runs mostly on the divide or highest and least watered part of the 
country. Wallace County seems to be particularly wanting in large 
streams. Some of the first branches of the Smoky Hill River have 
their rise in it, but the supply both of water and trees is small. There 
has been little improvement or settlement in the county until recently. 
The village of Wallace is built on the Government reservation of Fort 
Wallace, which reservation is 2 miles wide by 7 miles long. The build- 
ings of the old military post are about 2 miles from the village. They 
are mostly in a state of dilapidation, but a portion are substantially 
built of stone and are well preserved. 

A large and substantial dam which was built across the small stream 
and utilized chiefly for an ice-pond still remains in a damaged condition, 
and with some repairs could be employed for irrigation. The village 
is on the high upland, and is supplied with water mainly from wells of 
different depth. On the highest levels water is usually reached at about 
150 feet. One-half the land lying along the railroad is owned by the 
company, and is not yet off"ered for sale, and settlers have generally 
gone beyond the railroad limits. The few attempts which have been 
made at cultivation without irrigation have been principally for'the pur- 
pose of obtaining forage crops of corn and millet, and have been so 
successful that trials are now being made of wheat and othei farm crops. 
At this village and in the vicinity the grasses are gramma and buffalo, 
in variable proportions, the buffalo predominating on the highest levels, 
but the gramma taking the lead elsewhere. The ground is well covered 
and affords excellent pasturage, and is quite capable of affording sum- 
mer pasturage for stock at the ^-ate of 10 acres to the head. 



8 

On the Burliugton and Missouri Railroad, in Northeastern Colorado, 
new settlements are forming'. Akron is a new town on the naked plain, 
near no stream of water. The land is said to be rich ; certainly it has 
this season produced promising crops of corn and millet on newly- 
broken sod. Water is obtained at the depth of about 75 feet. Half a 
mile north of the station is the artesian well which was sunk by the 
United States Government to the depth of 1,200 feet and then aban- 
doned. The water now rises freely in the well to within 140 feet of the 
surface, and is utilized to supply the wants of settlers in the vicinity* 
The grasses of the prairie are the same as at Wallace and elsewhere, but 
somewhat more sparsely covering the ground. On the same railroad, 
in Southwestern Nebraska, Beukelmau, Culbertson, and McCook are 
thrifty towns on the Eepnblican Kiver, where the land is fertile and con- 
siderable of it under cultivation. At McCook, on high ground north 
and west of the town, fields of strong, promising corn and millet were 
growing on the dry prairie. The gramma and buffalo grasses cover the 
soil richly and afford excellent pasturage. The greatest diflBculty away 
from the streams on the highlands is the want of water, to obtain which 
it is sometimes necessary to sink wells 150 to 300 feet. Wheat has 
yielded as high as 40 bushels to the acre without irrigation. In the town 
are planted several kinds of trees, as ash, box-elder, elm, white maple, 
and catalpa, which seem to be making healtliy growth. 

On Avhat is called the Julesburg Branch of the Union Pacific Eailroad 
new towns ai e springing uj), and laud is rapidly being located. Atwood, 
Sterling, lliff", and Sedgwick are within the boundaries of Colorado, and 
Ogallala, O'Fallon, and Xorth Platte are in Nebraska. At the points 
in Nebraska i)articularly there have been many land entries and con- 
siderable cultivation commenced. At Noith Platte and many miles 
west of that place the river bottom is several miles wide, and contains 
rich meadow land, where great quantities of grass are cut annually 
for hay. This consists of several coarse species, principally Panicum 
mrgatum, Agropynim glaucum, and Andropogon provincialis, intermixed 
with sedges and rushes. In some places over large areas the principal 
grass is that which is called alkali or salt grass [Distichlis marifima), 
which makes a close, thick mat, looking like a pasture of blue-grass. 

The highhnids away from the river aie covered with the ubiquitous 
gramma, with occasional buffalo-grass and blue-joint. On higti levels, 
HOO leet above the river, on new breaking, are fields of corn, which give 
promise of a good yield. 

SI rrOKTING CAPACITY OF THE ARID PLAINS. 

There is a surprising difference in the estimates as to the supporting 
ability of these plains, some stating that it recpiires 40 or 50 acres to 
maintain one aninial, others giving 20 or 30 acres, and still others lOor 
15 acres. All these estimates are correct as to certain localities, and 
over the entire region it may be considered i)robable that the average 



araoant required would be about 15 acres to the head. In the Census 
Eeport for 1880, Mr. Clarence Gordon says of Kansas west of the ninety- 
ninth meridian : " Where there is sufficient water, 10 acres of range will 
support one head of neat stock. When we find that there were in esti- 
mate 80 acres to each unit of stock, we have to remember that at least 
one-half of the occupied area is scantily watered, and that the region is 
not fully stocked." Elsewhere he says that in 1880 there were in the 
same region over 184,000 head of stock, and that the approximate acre- 
age for stock occui)ation was 15,782,880 acres. And in Nebraska, west 
of the ninety-ninth meridian, there were 571,386 head of cattle, with an 
approximate acreage of occupation of 26,000,000 acres, or about 48 acres 
per head. 

It is impossible to realize the full capacity of these districts under 
the ranch system. This can only be accomplished by limiting the ex- 
tent of the range and the size of tiie herds, so that they can be properly 
cared for as to water, shelter, and winter feed ; and this would require 
the cultivation of a part of the land. The question of water supply on 
the high lauds will in time be successfully solved, so that every fertile 
acre can be beneficially employed. And with these conditions fulfilled 
the supporting capacity of the country can be easily doubled and quad- 
rupled. 

A PASTORAL COUNTRY. 

Sufficient time has not elapsed to determine what will be the ultimate 
success of general agriculture in this section, but there can be no doubt 
thattlie country is eminently adapted to pastoral uses, and the settlers 
who are now filling up the countrj' would do well to direct their efforts 
to stock raising and to dairy interests. 

]S"otwith Stan ding the great development of the cattle industry during* 
recent years, statistics show that the production of beef has not kept 
pace with the increase of population, and to supply the great demand 
for meat will require not only the usual product of the ranches, but 
opens also an excellent opportunity of cattle farming, where the addi- 
tional labor and care employed will not only increase the supply, but 
find ample remuneration. 

HOW TO INCREASE THE GRASS SUPPLY. 

The inquiry will naturally arise in thoughtful minds, cannot the graz- 
ing capacity of this region be increased by substituting more product- 
ive grasses, those which will not only endure the aridity of the climate, 
butalso clothe the ground more completely, and furnish a more abundant 
growth "? There can be no doubt as to the high nutritive value of the 
gramma and buffalo grasses, but the yield is so light as to require a 
large area for cattle to range over to obtain support. There can be no 
improvement in this respect without cultivation of the soil. 

It has been argued that in this arid region agriculture cannot be suc- 
cessful from a want of sufficient rainfall- But it is now claimed by 



10 

those residing on the soil that this is erroneous. It is said that in the 
natural condition of the soil the full benetitof the rainfall is not obtained, 
that the ground is so densely packed that it is impervious to ui()i.>-ture, so 
that a large share of the rainfall rapidly' i uns into the arroyas and streams 
as it would from a roof, whereas if the ground were plowed and pulver- 
ized a large part of the rainfall would be retained for the {gradual nour- 
ishment of such plants as were on the j:round. Nature has here done 
the best she could under the circumstances. But nature never spon- 
taneously presents us with great and luxuriant fields of grain or other 
vegetables ready to the hand of tnan. But by means of agriculture 
man directs and controls nature, and she willingly submits to his guid- 
ance. Man has learned to select those plants, grains, and grasses 
which are best adapted to his wants, and to grow them to the exclusion 
of others. This is the essence of agriculture. Nature shows her will- 
ingness even here to respond to the ameliorating influences of cultiva- 
tion. No sooner is the ground plowed, and corn, sorghum, or millet 
planted, than a ci op many times as heavy as that of the native soil is at 
once produced. Even if nothing but such annual crops as those can be 
raised on this soil the cultivation of an eighth part of the land would 
be sufficient to make safe the keeping of twice the number of cattle 
which could subsist otherwise. But it is reasonable to conclude that 
nature will be as ready to help in the production of perennial glasses 
as she is in the annual ones. There is every reason to expect that even 
the gramma-grass may beniade to double its yield by cultivation. But 
there is a considerable number of grasses native to this district which 
are much more thrifty and productive than the gramma and buflalo, 
and if they were selected and sown upon the properly prepared land 
there can be no doubt that a great improvement in the grass produc- 
tion would be effected. Indeed we should extend our inquiry to foreign 
grasses cultivated in similar situations. 

■ESTIMATE OF RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED. - 

Between the thirty-seventh and forty third degrees of latitude, and 
between the one hundredth and the one hundred and fifth degrees of 
longitude, there are embraced not far from 120,000 square miles of sur- 
face. There can be little doubt that one-half of that quantity is capable 
of sustaining, under proper management, with provision for winter Ibod 
and shelter, at least 50 head of cattle to the square mile, or 3,000,000 
cattle on the entire tract. By many of the residents this estimate would 
be considered much too small. And can we not expect that tiie time is 
advancing when we shall see all this vast area so improved as to fully 
realize this estimate, not only for the limited area above mentioned, but 
for many other sections of what are now called the arid lands i If also 
we can gradually introduce more productive grasses we can readily an- 
ticipate a still further development of the (;attle industry. 



11 

THE CRUCIAL TEST. 

I have stated my belief that many other grasses and forage ])lants 
might be substituted for the prevailing oues on this arid tract which 
would be more productive. 

But this is a question which can only be settled by experiment. Such 
grasses and forage plants require to be subjected to careful and i)ro- 
longed trials in order to obtain proof of their relative values under dif- 
ferent conditions of soil, moisture, and location. 

Such experiments are difficult and expensive, and cannot well be made 
by private individuals; hence it is highly important that the Govern- 
ment should i)rovide an experimental station in a central and character- 
istic location, where all the commonly cultivated grasses and forage 
plants, and also the most promising native ones, could be thoroughly 
tried under various conditions. This would be greatly in the interest 
of that large body of settlers who are now taking possession of the 
country, and who, without the aid of such information as could thus be 
obtained and communicated, will be exposed to many losses and dis- 
appointments in prosecuting agriculture under the peculiar circum- 
stances here existing. A pro perl 3" conducted and well-continued series 
of experiments in this direction would result in important discoveries of 
great value to the future residents ip this arid district. 

LOCATION OF A GRASS-EXPEMMENT STATION. 

I have spoken above of the Government reservation of Fort Wallace, 
and I am induced to recommend the utilization of this property for the 
purpose of an experimental station. 

I recommend this because it is central, easy of access, and typical of 
this large district of arid country. I recommend'it also because here is 
land presenting a suitable variety of elevation, moisture, &c., with all 
the buildings which would be needed for the equipment of such a sta- 
tion. I recommend it because its scope of work would be peculiar to, 
and in the interest of a peculiar region of country, greatly needing the 
information which it would secure. 

A very moderate appropriation, expended under the Commissioner of 
Agriculture, could here be made productive of a great amount of good. 
The problem presented could not be solved in one or two years, but 
would require a well conducted and continued series of trials under 
varied conditions. 

The editor of the Wallace County Register, in a recent issue, makes 
the following very rational remarks : 

There cau be uo good reason assigned why the old Government post, now fast fall- 
ing into decay, bat still capable, with small expense, of being fitted up for comforta- 
ble residences and stabling, should not be utilized for the benefit of the whole country. 
There is no finer belt of land anywhere in the great West than we have within a 



12 

radius of 100 miles, takiug Wallace as a center. All this gi'eat area lies in what has 
been known as the Great American Desert. It is not desert, but tbe very richest of 
soil, and possesses the finest climate in America. As yet it is undeveloped. Only one 
thing is surely known of it ; that is, it is a fine stock country. 

Nearly one-fourth of all this land (not including the railroad grant) has been taken 
np under the timber-culture act. One-half of this portion will be ready for planting 
by the spring of 1888, the other half by the spring following. Nearly all of the re- 
mainder has been taken np under the other acts of Congress governing the public 
domain. There is but little of it left to be taken. These homesteaders know but 
little of what the country will produce, A farm of the character contemplated would 
greatly aid them. 



APPENDIX. 



The native grasses occupying that portion of the arid region here in- 
vestigated are numerous, but only two kinds play the most important 
part in the support of animal life. These are, botauically, Bouteloua 
oligostachya and Buchlce dactyloidce, commonly called gramma-grass and 
buffalo grass, respectively, but frequently called indiscriminately buf- 
falo-grass. They are of low growth, forming patches of greater or 
less extent, with spaces of bare soil between the patches. The leaves 
are short and mostly crowded close to the ground. There are several 
species of Bouteloua or gramma-grass, but the one above named is the 
principal one on the great stretches of upland. The others occur lo- 
cally, some on rocky ridges and some in what is called bottom laud. 
In valleys and bottoms near the mountains the dwarf gramma-grass, 
Bouteloua prostrata, often carpets the ground over large areas. This 
extends, at least, from Northern Colorado to Santa F6, N. Mex. The 
common gramma varies much in size and vigor, according to its loca- 
tion. In rich moist bottom land it may grow 2 feet high and form a 
pretty close sod, but on the elevated dry plains it becomes greatly re- 
duced in size and productiveness. Wherever it is not too closely 
cropped by cattle it seeks to send up its flowering stalks, sometimes not 
more than 6 inches high, but usually a foot or more. Near the top of 
the slender stalk are from one to two, or rarely three, flower-spikes, 
which when mature stand out nearly at right angles, and are an inch to 
an inch and a half long, with the flowers all arranged on one side of the 
spikes. 

The true buffalo-grass, Buchlce dactyloides, forms extensive cushion- 
like beds, covering the gronnd closely with its short, compact foliage, 
which is of a lighter color than the gramma. This grass is very pecul- 
iar in one respect. It is of a dioecious habit— that is, the two sexes 
grow on different i)lants, or if on the same plant they are not on the 
same stalk. Usually, however, they are wholly distinct and in different 
patches. The male spikes resemble in appearance those of the gramma, 
but are much smaller, and the stalks never grow tall. The female flowers 
are inconspicuous, generally being concealed among the leaves near the 
ground, and seed is rarely formed, the plant being mainly propagated 
by its .short-jointed, creeping runners, after the manner of Bermuda- 
grass. According to my observation the gramma-grass is much the 
most common, but the two are generally associated in varying propor- 
tions, but together forming from 75 to 90 per cent, of the whole grass 

13 



14 

product. There are several different grasses, known under the names 
of blue-stem, blue-joint, and. blue grass, all of which are different from 
the blue-grass of the East. 

One of these, sometimes called Colorado blue-stem, is botanically 
called Agropyrum glaucum. It has a stiff, rigid stem and leaves, which 
are usually of a bluish-green color. On hard, dry soil its growth is low 
and sparse, only here and there a scattered stalk with a tlower-spike 
somewhat like a starved, beardless head of wheat, but in low, moist 
ground it often gro\^s with great vigor 2 or 3 feet high, and wherever 
it is abundant it is considered valuable for hay, and is a common resort 
for cattle in winter. It is most common near the mountains, but extends 
into Western Kansas and Nebraska. A.nother grass, frequently called 
the blue-stem, or blue-joint, of Kansas, is botanically called Andropogon 
provincialis. On the prairies of Eastern Kansas and Nebraska this is a 
conspicuous and well-known grass, very highly esteemed for haj'. It 
is said that it is gradually crowding out the gramma and buffalo 
grasses. It is found, in some localities, quite to the base of tbe mount- 
ains, and is every where esteemed a good grass for hay. It grows 
erect, frequently to the height of 5 or 6 feet. The leaves are long and 
abundant ; the stem has frequently a bluish color, and has at the top 
a cluster of from 3 to 5 tlower spikes, each being 2 or 3 inches long, and 
generally purplish in color. 

There is another species much resembling this, which is botanically' 
called Andropogon Hallri, and it prevails in very sandy soil; its roots 
are thick and penetrate deeply in the soil, keeping it fresh and vigorous 
in the driest time. This is sometimes called sand-grass, and it is said 
to be greatly sought for by cattle in winter. It grows from 3 to 5 feet 
high ; the flower spikes when developed are hairy, and have a white or 
yellowish color, and the leaves and stem are commonly a light bluish- 
green color. 

Another species of this family, called Andropogon scoparius, grows in 
dense tufts or bunches, generally on thin soil, or on bluffs and hills, but 
frequently also on bottom land, and is called bunch-grass. Apparently 
the same species in a somewhat different variety grows in the East, and 
is one of the so called sedge-grasses. It is probably what is referred to 
by some AVestern writers as sage-grass. It is frequently cut for hay, 
and serves a good purpose as winter forage. 

Another important and valuable grass 0(;curring in low or moist 
ground, usually near streams, is Panicum virgatum, which is sometimes 
called wild red top, or sometimes switch grass. It varies in height from 
2 to 4 feet, with long leaves and a wide-spreading pani(!le of flowers. 
It is abundant on the native prairies irr Eastern Kansas, arrd forms a 
good proportion of the wild grass there cut for hay. It also forms arr 
im])()rtant part of the native meadow-gr-asses irr the valley of the Platte 
as far wt-st as O'Fallon, and in suraller (piarrtities to the base of the 
mountains. 



15 

Another species of this genus occurs in Texas, ]S"ew Mexico, and South- 
ern Colorado, which has the name of Vine Mesquit. It is botanically 
called Panicum ohtusum. I found patches of this growing in Southern 
Colorado, making an even grassy surface about 2 feet high, and appear- 
ing as if it would cut 2 tons per acre. I also saw it in considerable quan- 
tity in hay brought into the Pueblo market. It frequently throws out 
runners several feet long (6 to 8 feet sometimes), which at intervals form 
thickened woolly knots or nodes, which sometimes take root. Itdeserves 
attention with reference to its agricultural value. 

One of the so-called bunch-grasses, botanically called Oryzopsis cus- 
pidata, occurs near the n)Ountains in sandy soil, but I did not observe 
it over the eastern part of the arid district. In Southern New Mexico 
and Arizona, however, it is said to be an important grass. Associated 
with Andropogon HaUii in very sandy districts is another tall grass, also 
called sand-grass, which is botanically, Ammophila longifolia. It is 
coarse and tough, and its princi[)al value seems to be as a refuge from 
starvation by cattle in the winter. It prevails on the sand dunes and 
sand hills of the most barren districts. 

Another grass of very different habit and growth is sometimes also 
called sand-grass, salt-grass, and alkali-grass, botanically caMed Bistich- 
Us maritiina. This is a low, very leafy grass, frequently forming the 
principal part of the vegetation in alkaline soils, though not confined 
to such. There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the value of 
this grass, some regarding it as useful, others as of no value. 

Wild rye grass, botanically, various forms oiElymun canadensis, is fre- 
quent in low grounds and borders of streams, and where it occurs in suf- 
ficient quantity is cut for hay, and is esteemed one of the best kinds. 

Among other grasses having some value, and occurring in some locali- 
ties, may be named Sporobolus cryptandrus, Sporobolus airoides, Ghryso- 
pogon nutans, Rilar'm Jamesii, Bduteloua racemosa, Stipa spartea, Kcele- 
ria cristata, several species of Muhlenbergia and Munroa squarrosa. 
Some of these may prove to be valuable in cultivation for this arid region. 
Several worthless annual grasses are often abundantly mixed on the 
plains with the gramma and buffalo, such as Aristida purpurea, Festuca 
tenella, Hordeum jubatum, and Elymus Sltanion. Some of these are in- 
jurious on account of the barbed awns which cause sore mouths in ani- 
mals and work into the wool and even into the flesh of sheep. 

ACREAGE REQUIRED FOR THE SUPPORT OF STOCK. 

Mr. H. M. Taylor, agent of the Bureau of Animal Industry, in his 
report for 1885 says, "from 40 to 50 acres are required to support one 
cow or horse on the arid regions of the plains." 

Mr. S. H. Standart, another agent of the same Bureau, says: 

The amouut of acreage it requires to support oue animal oq the rauge in tins State 
(Colorado) is 36| acres on the average in ordinary seasons. Tho reports are from 13 
to 100 acres, according to locality. 



16 

The above estimates can ouly apply to tlie most barren parts of the 
arid districts. I think it can safely be said that there is very little land 
in Western Kansas and Nebraska where the native vegetation will not 
give support to cattle at the rate of 10 acres per head, and the ability 
of the laud may readily be doubled by agricultural means. 

AGRICULTURE ON THE ARID PLAINS. 

The Akron (Colorado) Pioneer Press, August 20, 1886, says : 

The office of the Pioneer Press resembles somewhat au agricultural hall at a county 
fair. Corn, millet, blue-joint, potatoes, buckwheat, oats, flax, beans, &c., that will 
compare favorably with auy State in the Union. They were u-rowu on sod in Col- 
orado, the great American desert, by tenderfeet. 

In the Homeseeker's Guide, published at Potter, Cheyenue County, 
in Southwestern Nebraska, are statements of the results of several in- 
stauces of farming in that county last year, in which coru, potatoes, 
vegetables, turnips, &c., planted on sod land gave excellent results. 

In the Denver Times, August, 18^6, is the following article: 

The bountiful yield of agricultural products in Northwestern Nebraska is a matter 
of surprise to all heretofore strangers to tiiis locality. Many homesteaders who came 
here last spring doubting and timid, are now enthusiastic with the outlook. Why 
should auy one distrust a country where soil yields a plentiful harvest for the mere 
planting, and where boundless grazing fields furnish pasturage for vast herds of cat- 
tle the year round ? (Sidney Telegraph.) 

The above is a sample of the reports which are coming in from the arid region to 
the east and northeast of Denver, along the Union Pacific and the Burlington Roads. 
Not only Western Nebraska, but Western Kansas and Eastern Colorado are appar- 
ently moving forward in the agri^'ultural line. Eeports are to the effect that settlers 
from the eastward are crowding the rangers in the eastern halves of Arapahoe, Weld, 
and Bent Counties. They have generally settled upon the high lauds, and have 
planted crops which have had no water except that which has fallen from the skies. 
Strange as it may seem to the average man, who has been taught to regard the plains 
east of Denver as of no worth whatever, the crops are reported as prospering. One 
man is represented as having a 10-acre field of corn which averages 8 feet in height. 
The importance of such development cannot be overestimated. If good crops can be 
regularly grown upon the plains lands without irrigation, the question of securing 
dense population in Colorado u) ay be regarded as settled. 

Surveyor-geueral Lawson, of Colorado, in a recent report to Commis- 
sioner Sparks, says: 

The lands upon the plains in the eastern section of the State are being rapidly 
settled upon by a thrifty, deteiniined class of farmers, who come with the avowed 
purpose of making permanent homes, and who claim that the so-called " Great 
American Desert" is no desert at all, but a most fertile region capable of sustaining 
a teeiMing population. They claim svith apparent confidence that the notion that 
agriculture cannot be profitably pursued in any portion of these plains except where 
irrigation is practicable is altogether erroneous, and maintain that there is ample 
rainfall to all the region east of the Rocky Mountains to secure abundant crops upon 
the soil, which is ricli and genial, and that the apparently arid and unproductive 
character of these lands arise from tlie fact that in their natural state the water de- 
posited by the snows of winter and the rains of spring an<l summer have flowed from 
the surface and t)een carried off by the arroyas and sandy ravines in the proportion 
of .at least four-fifths, whereas when the soil .-^hall be plowed and cultivated it will 



^7 

absorb and retain the moisture in the same proportion, not more than one-fifth of the 
water iiowing off into gulches and arroyas. They point with confidence, in illustra- 
tion of this idea, to the fact that as the plowshare has advanced westward in the 
States of Kansas and Nebraska the " desert " of the old geographies has disappeared. 

LOSSES OF CATTLE UNDER THE RANCH SYSTEM. 

The losses of stock on ranches, from starvation and exposure, varies 
greatly in different seasons and in different localities, being seldom less 
than five per cent. 

Mr. J. N. Bradley, an inspector of the Bureau of Animal Industry, says 
in his Report for 1885, page 427 : 

The ranchmen calculate to lose about 3 to 5 per cent, from exposure, and consider 
it less expensive than providing shelter and winter food. 

But these losses during some winters are greatly exceeded, in South- 
ern Kansas the past winter amounting in many instances to the loss of 
the larger portion of the herds. A similar condition existed in Eastern 
Colorado, as will be seen from the following item from a Colorado paper: 

A correspondent writing under date of July 23 from Apache to the Walsenburg 
Cactus says : For the past two days the round-np has been in the Apache Valley. 
The report of the 100 cowboys who comprise the force is anything but encouraging as 
to the losses of the past winter. Many put the estimate of losses of acclimated stock 
as high as 75 per cent. ; the most hopeful say 50 per cent. Among the dogies shipped 
in last fall scarcely a remnant remains. One cattle company that turned loose 1,800 
head of through Texas stock have found out, at a cost of 10 per cent, of their in- 
vestment, that they have less than 100 head left. A cattleman of this neighbor- 
hood who went into the winter with 1,000 head has so far been able to find less than 
a dozen. 

But the actual loss of life from starvation and exposure is not the 
only consideration. Even among those cattle which survive the winter 
there is always a great reduction of flesh and condition. Mr. S. H. 
Standart, agent of the Bureau of Animal Industry, says: 

The loss of flesh during the winter from want of shelter is 12 per cent. In Dakota 
the loss of flesh during the winter is 17^ per cent. (Report for 1885, p. 327.) 

We would therefore hail with satisfaction such a change in the cattle 
industry as would obviate these risks and losses and bring it into the 
hands of land-owners, who, by better care and management, will make 
it possible to raise twice as many cattle, besides extending the dairy 
and sheep interests. 

CHANGES ARE COMING. 

Eapid changes are coming over our neighboring county of Bent. Though hereto- 
fore recognized as a leading and almost exclusive stock-raising region, large ditch 
enterprises have been projected there within a couple of years, and attention is di- 
rected quite generally to farming. With the ditches, new people, that know nothing 
of the range-stock business, have come in. Old-time ranchmen are considering how 
they can bring their herds to the limits of a pasture, and how to provide feed to sup- 
plement their abridged ranges. The town-boomers of Western Kansas have invaded 
the eastern borders of the county this year, and are booming no less than three new 
6078— Bull 1 2 



18 

towns within a few miles of each other. At the same time the older towns of Las 
Animas and La Junta have been infused with new energy and are making substantial 
growth. (Review and Standard, Pueblo, Colo.) 

From the New York Tribune: 

Theodore Roosevelt has come from the West with a springy step and bronzed coun- 
tenance, and the general air of buoyancy which is the result of contact with the free 
air of Dakota prairies. He says that the days of excessive profits in the cattle busi- 
ness are over, because there are too many people in the business, and the cattlemen 
have to pay the penalty of crowding cattle more thickly on the prairies than the grass 
will stand. Mr. Roosevelt thinks that the present system of cattle grazing will event- 
ually cease and the business take a dilferent form in different localities. The land 
that is fitted for agriculture will be taken up by the farmers, and the grazing lands 
will gradually be fenced in and the great ranches be broken up to make place for 
smaller ranches. 

Eespectfully submitted. 

GEO. VASEY, 
Botanist of the Department. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Bouteloua oligostachya Gramma-grass, PI. I 

Bncliloe dactyloides Buffalo-grass, PL II 

Andropogon provincialis Blue-joint, PI. Ill 

Andropogon scoparius Wire-grass, Sedge-grass, PI. IV 

Pauicum virgatum Switch-grass, PL V 

Distichlis maritima Alkali or Salt-grass, PL VI 

Chrysopogon nutans Reed-grass, Sorghum-grass, PL VII 

Koeleria cristata Wild June-grass, PL VIII 

Muhlenhergia glomerata PL IX 

Hilaria Jamesii PL X 

Sporobolus cryptandrus PL XI 

Sporobolus airoides Bunch-grass, PL XII 

Elymus Canadensis Eye-grass, PL XIII 

19 



Plate I. 




BOUTELOUA OLIGOSTACHYA, GrAMMA-GRASS. 



Plate II. 




BUCHLOE DACTYLOIDES BUFFALO-GRASS. 



Plate III. 




W\jBYX .WV. 



Andropogon provincialis. Blue-joint. 



Plate IV. 




AnDROPOGON SCOPARIUS. WiRE-GKASS. SEDGE-GRASS. 



Plate V. 




Panicum virgatum. Switch-grass. 



Plate VI. 




DiSTICHLIS MAEITIMA. AlKALI-GRASS. SaLT-GRASS. 



Plate Vn. 




Chkysopogon nutans. Keed-grass. Soeghumgkass. 
6078— null. 1 3 



Plate VIII. 




•TAK^UBBEA- 



KOELKRIA CRISTATA. WlLD JUNE-GRASS. 



Plate IX. 



HiiiRX^lV^ 




v\M.u\GW0Lsa 



MUHLENBERGIA GLOMERATA. 



Plate X. 




HiLARIA JaMESII. 



Platd XT. 




SPOROBOLUS CRYPTANDRfS. 



Plate XII. 




Sporobolus airoides. Bunch-grass. 



Plate XIII. 




Elymus Canadensis. Rye- grass. 



LEJe'08 



-^ 



